Wasteland Waltz
by RiotDragon
Summary: A young man leaves his life long home in search of his father. But can he survive the harsh wasteland, or will he fall into the depths of the apocalypse like so many others?
1. Bad Dreams

OoO( 1 )OoO

The world was silent and warm. There was only darkness around as the small form curled up in silent bliss. It floated in the darkness, ignorant of anything outside its small bubble. Suddenly, there was a lurch. I didn't know what it was, but it didn't like it. Another! What was happening? What was shaking the world around it?

Suddenly, there was a blinding white light. It burned worse than anything it had ever felt. Suddenly, a deep rumbling came from within. As it opened its mouth, a loud wailing sound came from deep within it. Suddenly, a voice cut it off.

"Look at you!" said a familiar voice. It stopped wailing as it heard the comforting tone. "It's a handsome baby boy. Take a look at him dear." continued the voice.

Then came another, even more familiar voice. "Oh, he's beautiful..." said the weeping voice. "What shall we name him?" she asked.

"I've been thinking about it for a while now. What do you think of John?" he asked.

"I think its wonderful darling." said the female voice again.

"John Ronas. You're going to grow up to be handsome and smart, just like your dad." said the man holding him proudly.

Suddenly, the sound of rapid beeping alerted the man. "James!" shouted the woman.

Handing the small bundle to a nearby nurse, the man began to shout orders. Suddenly, everything was dark again.

OoOoO

"There you go. Almost there, now come to papa." said the man again, this time with a small beard covering his chin.

On wobbly legs, the infant stood up and began to waddle towards the man. Kneeling down, James Ronas reached forward as his child stumbled into his awaiting hands.

"That's my boy. You got a strong will for one so young." he said as he held his son. "Now, I have something to show you, over here." he said as he took the child over to a small scroll-like paper on the wall. "It was your mothers favorite verse. Revelations 21:6, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is thirsty, the springs of the water of life." he said before looking down into the young ones blue eyes. "You have her eyes. I wish she were here to see them." he said, then stood up and walked over to the play area.

Setting the infant down, he closed the gate to his play pen. "Daddy has a meeting now, so be a good boy until I get back. Alright?" said the man as he walked towards the door. It opened briefly, before closing behind the man.

The child looked down at all of his toys, and chose to pick up his favorite book, called 'I am S.P.E.C.I.A.L.'

OoOoO

John Ronas had his eyes blindfolded as he stumbled down the halls of the vault he called home. He was being guided by his father, when suddenly there was a wooshing sound of one of the vaults many electronic doors. "There you are John. Go ahead and take it off." said the man as he ruffled his sons short brown hair.

The young boy pulled the blind fold off and was shocked when nearly everybody in the vault yelled, "SURPRISE!" He stood stunned as young ones came up and congratulated him.

A young girl walked up with a large smile on her face. "Happy birthday John. Here!" she said. He took the package wrapped in crude paper.

"Thanks Amata. I appreciate it." he said as he tore the paper from the gift. His eyes immediately sparkled when he saw the cover of 'Grognak the Barbarian.'

"Hehe, I thought you would like it." she said. "Now, I set this party up for you, so go mingle with people. Maybe you can get some more presents." she said, then walked off with a smile.

"Did you like your present son?" asked James. John looked up at his father and nodded. "Good, because I've got something for you too." he said as he knelt down and held out a little arm mounted computer. "It's your first Pip-Boy. I know its only an old 3000 model, but me and Jonas know that you will be able to do amazing things, even with this." he said.

"Wow...is it really mine?" asked John as he held his arm out.

"Of course. You only turn 10 once right?" asked his father as he smiled widely at the boys eagerness. "Of course, we will have to upgrade it later when your arm gets bigger, but this will make due for now." he said as he strapped the small computer onto the boys arm. "There you are, now just hit that button."

John pushed the button and the Pip-Boy came to life, showing a small smiling man with the word STATS above his head. On the side, it listed his health conditions, radiation status, and current mental state. "Cool..." said the boy. Suddenly, he noticed a shadow covering him, causing him to look up.

The Overseer was looking at him with a small smile. The same one he always had. John had always felt something sinister whenever he smiled, although there was nothing in history that gave him a reason to feel as he did. He just couldn't shake the feeling that something about the man wasn't right.

"You know what this means, right John?" asked the older man. He had at least 10 years on his father, and he looked the part as well. "You get your first responsibility in the vault. I'm sure you must be excited." said the old man.

"Uhhh...yeah..." he said uncomfortably.

"Another time please." his father said to the old man. The Overseer glared at him briefly before turning and walking away. "Sorry about that son. Enjoy your party now, I think they are about to cut the cake." he said.

John turned towards the counter just in time to watch a hovering robot massacre the cake with its spinning saw arm.

_"Oh dear, sorry about that sir..."_ said the mechanical creature as it floated behind the counter.

"Oh my...well, this is one party that didn't go according to plan..." said the man.

"It's alright dad. I think its cool. Besides, I've still got that sweet bun miss Agnes gave me." said the young boy.

"There you go lad, that's looking on the bright side of things. Now, I have one more thing to give you later. Come find me when you are done here." he said before ruffling his sons hair again and leaving him standing at the counter.

John pulled out his sweet roll, noticing that someone was eyeing it hungrily. "Something on your mind Butch?" asked John curiously.

"Yeah! I'm hungry and that stupid robot destroyed the cake. So you are gonna give me your sweet bun." he said walking closer.

"Go find your own." said the boy. Butch was a year older than him, however, John had height on him. "Maybe one of your two buddies over there can bake you one." he said sarcastically.

Butch growled, then lunged for the delicacy. John stepped out of the way, tripping the boy and sending him flying to the ground. However, the bully wasn't disuaded. He jumped up and began to throw fists towards the birthday boy. The assault was quickly halted however, as half the vault pulled the two apart.

OoOoO

"I can't believe he tried to start a fight with you on your birthday. That woman really needs to discipline her children." said his father as he led him down a hallway. "Oh well, you handled it well I hear." said the man smiling proudly. "Used one of the moves I showed you?"

"Yeah. It was easier to do than I thought." he said as he munched on the sweet roll. "So dad, what did you get me?" he asked curiously.

"It's just in here." said the older man as he opened another door and led them into the reactor room. Once inside, the boy noticed Jonas, a dark skinned doctor that worked with his father.

"Hey there Johnny. Who has two thumbs and is 10 years old?" he asked as he smiled at the boy from behind a pair of cokebottle glasses.

John smiled and pointed both thumbs at himself, then said, "This guy!"

Jonas laughed and nodded. "You certainly are. Now, are you here about your other present?"

"Indeed he is. I think its about time we show it to him." said the older man in the lab coat. Jonas nodded and turned back to the footlocker he had sitting at the bottom of his lab table. He pulled something out, then turned around and held it out, making him gasp in awe. "It's a BB Gun. And it's all yours little man." said the young doctor.

OoOoO

John thought it was a bad dream. But when he awoke, he realized that his dream was reality. Sitting up, he looked at Amata who had been shaking him.

"What the hell? What are you doing?" asked John as he rubbed his eyes.

"John, you have to get out of here!" she said, causing the 21 year old's eyes to snap open.

"Get out of where?" he asked. "Where is my father?"

She grabbed him by the shoulders. "John...your father left the vault."

"What! How! When!" he shouted as he stood up.

The girl, who was younger than him by only a few months, shook him before yelling, "Listen to me! You father left the vault! My father killed Jonas, and I think he intends to do the same thing to you!" she said, stunning the young man into silence. "You have to leave the vault, and you have to do it before my father finds you..."

Finally grasping the situation, he shook his head. "How do I do that? To get to the entrance of the vault you'd have to go right by his office." he said.

"Maybe not. I know of a secret access tunnel that comes out right in front of the vault. It's a little close to his office, but if you are careful you can get out without being spotted." she said. John nodded, then looked over her shoulder. Grabbing her, he threw her onto the bed.

Standing over her, he glared at her. "I don't care if your father wants to see me or not! I'm leaving!" he shouted, leaving her shocked and confused. He then ran to the table and grabbed a lunchbox strapped to the bottom. It was something his father said was 'only for emergencies'. He ran out the door and swung a sharp elbow, smashing through the visor of a guard that was hiding by the door. The blow stunned him, allowing John to take off his armor and his weapons, then leave him there.

Amata walked out the door and looked down at the man. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah...I heard what happened." said the officer. "Your father would be glad to know you tried to help." said the man as he stood. She looked at him oddly, then realized what had happened. John knew that the guard was there, and knew that Amata would be punished if she was seen helping him. She smiled slightly. "Always thinking ahead..." she said.

OoOoO

John growled as he moved ahead through the vault. "Dammit Butch, you almost got me caught!" he barked to himself. "Next time, save your own damn mother."

He moved down the halls, now holding a police baton in his hand which he used to quickly dispatch another guard who had found him after he rescued Butch's mother from RadRoaches. His father had taught him quite a bit about armed and unarmed combat, making him very formidable with any kind of weapon.

Coming to the entrance of the tunnel Amata had spoke of, he opened the access panel and moved inside, closing it behind him. Sighing to himself, he ran a hand through his brown hair which seemed to naturally spike behind him. Moving forward he pressed through the tunnel until he came to the exit. When he opened it, he could hear the Overseer shouting in the room next to him.

"Where is he!" he shouted. John wondered who he was interrogating as he stepped out from the tunnel and headed for the giant vault door. Suddenly, the sound of a familiar voice stopped him.

"I don't know!" shouted Amata. "Why are you asking me!"

Turning around, John spun the baton in his hand and headed back to the office. Stepping inside, he saw Amata sitting in a chair while the Overseer and another officer stood over her, interrogating her. Amata, near tears now, looked up to defend herself again when the sight of John startled her. The officer noticed her reaction and turned around. He was surprised, but quickly reached for his gun.

John moved forward slammed the baton across the mans hand. Yelping loudly, the guard shook his hand in pain. Suddenly, he hit the ground harshly as the boys baton contacted his helmet. The Overseer reached for his weapon as well, but stopped suddenly when John aimed a gun at his head. "I don't think so." said the boy.

"My dear boy, I certainly hope you are here to turn yourself in. You are in a great deal of trouble already." said the old man. John smirked.

"Why that's exactly what I'm here to do..." he said lowering the gun.

"Really?" asked the Overseer oddly.

"Of course not you idiot!" shouted John as he slammed the gun barrel against the mans head hard enough to force him against the wall. "Now, you have some questions to answer old man." he said as he took the old mans weapon, then turned and closed the door, locking it from the inside. "Why did you kill Jonas?" he asked.

"Jonas helped your father escape here, and planned to escape with him. We tried to arrest him, but he got out of control." said the old man.

"So, thats how you handle situations that get out of your control? Shoot and feed excuses later?" asked the boy as he rummaged through the mans desk. "Now, here is what you are going to do. You are going to get into the mainframe computer and put in the password to unlock that door."

The old man laughed. "My boy, if you think I'd lift a finger to help you escape, you are sadly mistaken." he said.

John smirked, then grabbed the old man and walked him into the next room. "Fine, then you can watch me do it." he said as he stepped up to the computer. Placing the gun at his side, he began clicking at the computer, bringing up a password screen on all nine of the monitors above the keyboard. Typing in a five letter passcode, he hit enter and the computer chimed.

The Overseer was outraged. "How did you figure out the password!" shouted the man.

John pointed the gun at him again and smirked. "Only an idiot locks their computer with their daughters name. And you certainly are a fool, so it wasn't hard to figure out." he said as he began walking towards the door. "Now, there is one more issue I have with you before I go." he said as the sound of the giant metal door opening became audible outside. "If you lay a hand on Amata after I leave, I promise I will find a way back here and I will make this vault your grave old man. Do you understand me?" he asked.

Sighing in defeat, the old man nodded. "Fine fine, I promise I won't touch her." he said.

"Oh yeah..." said John as he stepped closer to the old man. "This is for Jonas." he said as he squeezed the trigger. Amata jumped to try and stop him, but she was too late. The weapon fired and the old man fell.

"Oh my god...you killed him...." she said staring at her fathers body. Suddenly, the old mans eyes opened and he began to shout loudly in pain.

"Gaaaaaaaahhh! What the hell was that!" he shouted as he held his forehead sorely. Amata looked at a smirking John, who held the gun towards her. She took it and opened its ammunition chamber, only to find it was a fake gun.

"It's a BB Gun my father gave me. If he gives you any trouble, pop him again." he said, then ran out the door. She looked at the gun, then cracked a smile. Suddenly, she couldn't keep herself from laughing.

John ran towards the control panel and slammed the giant button down, causing a loud grating noise as the giant mechanism unscrewed the locks on the vault door, then slid it out of the of the entrance. Pulling out the real gun he got from one of the guards, he ran forward through the hole and out to a wooden door. Opening it, all he saw was light. Suddenly, the light got brighter and swallowed him.


	2. Wasteland Cowboy

OoO( 2 )OoO

John sat up in his bed as he woke up. Reaching up, he held his now throbbing head. "Ah...that same dream again..." he said as he kicked his feet over the edge and set them on the floor.

"What's wrong hun?" asked a woman laying in the bed next to him. "Have another bad dream?" she asked as she lit up a cigarette and handed him one. He took it eagerly and lit it, puffing on the burning stick, then exhaling before answering.

"It's been months since I left the vault, yet I'm still having dreams about my life." he said as he leaned over. The woman sat up and leaned against him.

"Don't worry, I'm sure once you find your father, everything will make sense." she said.

He smirked. "If I can find him." he said as he stood up. "Moriarty is the only one who seems to know where he went and he won't tell me without me giving him half my limbs." he said as he began to dress. He no longer wore the Vault 101 jumpsuit he had on his entire life. Now he had some makeshift armor that he had taken from a terrfied raider that he had cornered. Buckling everything up, he turned to her. "Well...I have to get going again. I'll see you around Nova." he said.

"Anytime you need company hun, you come back here." she said flashing him a smile. He nodded, then grabbed the shotgun by the bed and stepped outside the room.

"Another day in hell..." he said, then headed for the door of the tavern.

OoOoO

Putting another cigarette to his lips, he lit and inhaled as he walked away from the wreckage of the Super Duper Mart. Moira had sent him on another errand that involved him checking the store to see if it was safe for scavenging. When he arrived however, the welcoming party was anything but kind. Suddenly a large explosion rocked the entire store and blew out the windows as he ran a hand through his naturally spiked hair.

"Good damn thing for that robot or they might have taken me out." he said as he took another puff from his Clover brand cigarette. Suddenly, something caught his eye. "What the hell?" he said as he saw flashes of light bursting on a hill not too far off to the west.

His curiosity got the best of him and he began to jog, adjusting the uncomfortable armor he wore so that it didn't rub his skin raw. As he approached the hill, he heard the sounds of gunfire becoming louder and louder. He looked up at the dark night sky and sighed. "A gunfight in the dark...wonderful." he said as he slowly approached to get a better look.

OoOoO

The man stood at about six feet and bore a large weapon, longer than most weapons seen in the desert. He wore a brown duster jacket that sported spaulders on both shoulders and a long tailcoat that blew in the wind. He cranked the charger on the large rifle back, then put the gun up on the wall of a broken and burned house.

Pulling the trigger, the weapon lurched back from the force of the shot. Like a streak of light, the high density bullet collided with a wall next to behemoth in black armor. The wall discentigrated upon impact, however, the armored figure was unharmed. John watched silently from the shadows as the man in the cowboy hat and duster faced off against the black armored fiend.

The armored soldier raised a weapon and unleashed hell as it spitfired lasers at the wall protecting the other man. The beams chipped away at the wall as if it was ice. "It won't be long before that laser breaks the wall..." John said to himself.

The iron soldiers helmet beeped and he looked directly in John's direction. John noticed and his face changed to shocked. "Uh oh..." he said as the fiend aimed the gattling laser at him. He dove backwards behind a pile of rubble just in time for the lasers to fly over his head. "Hey asshole!" he shouted as he knelt behind the rubble. "What the hell did I do to deserve this!"

"All Regulator scum must be terminated." said the man in an almost mechanical voice.

"They don't care who you are! If you look like a threat they'll kill you!" said the other man who was in view of the wanderer. John looked at him and glared.

"Great..." he said sighing. "Another mess I've gotten myself into....so, who is this guy and who are 'they'? he asked as he snuck closer to the man.

"The Enclave, led by President Eden." said the man who was breathing heavily.

"You mean that guy talking through those flying robot heads?" asked the wanderer. The man nodded.

"Eden is corrupted and took a hold on the country using his army of mercenaries known as the Enclave. Now, anyone who resists, his men just kill." said the cowboy as he loaded another round into the huge weapon.

"And I take it you resisted..." he said. The man shook his head.

"It's the job of any Regulator to destroy evil. And the Enclave is the worst kind of evil." he said as he pulled the charge handle back again.

"Not a very good reason to throw your life away..." said John as he ducked further behind the wall, avoiding the spatter of the lasers again.

"Then what is?" asked the man as he got to his knees. John thought for a moment, but couldn't think of an answer. As soon as the laser fire stopped, the man stood and took aim again. Firing again, the weapon fired at the same time as the laser. The beams of light rushed forward and stabbed through the mans chest like burning swords, sending him flying backwards. The round from the rifle flew and nailed the spinning barrels of the gattling laser gun, shattering them into scraps.

John growled as he crawled over to the man. "Are you alright!" he shouted. The man coughed, causing blood to pour out of his mouth. Glaring in the direction of the armored foe, he grabbed the grenade he received from a friendly raider inside the Super Duper Mart, then pulled the pin and hurled it over the wall.

The armored fiend dropped the shattered gattling and pulled a rifle from his side. Aiming, he fired the laser weapon at the wanderer. However, the shots were unfocused and missed completely. The grenade flew over the mans head and landed underneath a car. "Fool..." said the robotic voice again. He took aim again, however wasn't able to pull the trigger. The explosion from the grenade sent the near empty ravaged car flying and rolling over the opponent.

John jumped over the wall with the long rifle and ran forward. The armored man pulled himself up and reached for his rifle, however, the barrel of the newly owned Gauss rifle convinced him not to. He raised his hands into the air. "Take off the weapons and armor. And if I see a finger even get close to the trigger, you can say goodbye to your head." said John as he aimed the heavy weapon with both arms at the mans head.

Reaching up, the man hit pressure buttons on his helmet that opened it, releasing the oxygen inside. Sliding his head out, he tossed it on the ground. The man was bald with a scar under his left eye. "You think you've got the guts to kill me?" asked the man.

"Did I tell you to speak?" asked the wanderer, still glaring through the scope. "The rest of it, now!" he said forcefully. The man removed his armor and weapons, throwing them aside. "Now step away from it."

The man stepped away from the gear, still smiling. "You know I'm going to find you again and kill you." said the soldier.

John smiled, then laughed to himself, causing the mans smile to fade. "Good point. Looks like I better take care of you now then." he said. The mans eyes widened, then he grabbed a pistol stashed in the back of his pants. However, he didn't get the chance to use it as a super hot round from the long rifle blew all of his internal organs out his back. He fell backwards, his face shocked as the wanderer ejected the MicroFusion round.

John walked forward and watched as the mans eyes rolled up into his skull before he choked out his last breath. "Should have ran while you had the chance." he said, then turned and went back to the cowboy. Kneeling down, he used the light on his pip-boy to check the mans wounds. "Hey, are you gonna be alright."

The man smiled. "Fraid not lad." he said, coughing again. "But you did me a great favor by killing him." he said breathing heavily. "I've hunted him for a long time, for taking my daughter away. And now...he's dead. I can die in peace."

John took out a stimpack and was about to inject it into the area around the mans wounds. "You aren't dying yet old man."

But the aged man grabbed John's hand, preventing him from injecting him. "It's a laser wound, it's already sealed from the heat and can't be healed. I'm a goner boy, don't waste your medicine." he said. John sighed and put the medicine away. "You can do me a favor though..." he said coughing again. The wanderer looked down as he took off the mans hat, showing long silver hair. "Take...my coat. And my gun..." he said coughing even harder. "You have to continue....to fight..." he said as he began gasping for air.

"Damn...he's going into shock..." said John as he grabbed the medicine again. However, the man knocked it out of his hand. Suddenly, the old man went silent, his eyes closing for the last time. John sighed, then stood to his feet. Walking over to the house, he began to dig with his bare hands.

OoOoO

It took hours, but finally he had dug a decent grave. Placing the old man inside the hole, he buried him with his arms crossing his chest and his hat on his head. As a grave marker, he placed the Enclave soldiers head with the helmet on a pike. Equipping the upper body armor from the soldiers gear, he gathered the weapons, then put the old mans coat on and watched as the sun rose in the background. Turning, he walked away, running his hand through his hair again before lighting another clover.

"Goodbye old man." he said to the cowboy as he walked towards Megaton again...


	3. Boom Town

OoO( 3 )OoO

It had been a week since the incident near the Super Duper Mart, when word got around about the Wasteland's newest addition. Gossip travelled from mouth to ear, spreading rumors of an Enclave soldier dead with missing armor, and a vault dweller selling energy weapons only used by the Enclave. To accomplish such a thing was no simple task.

The man walked with his shotgun over his shoulder. With a lit clover in his mouth, he walked past the large bomb in the center of the town, ignoring some old man preaching about the bomb bringing them enlightenment. Continuing up the hill, he walked past the sheriff, Lucas Simms. He nodded to the man, who smiled and nodded back.

At first, the dark skinned man didn't seem too keen on letting him into the city, saying they had enough trouble. But, since he had been to the city, no trouble cropped up. In fact, since his arrival, the problems that normally plagued the town started to disappear. Leaks in pipes around town that lowered the water pressure in the filtration plant started to vanish, taking the strain off the old equipment. The Protectron robot at the front of the city was now armed to protect the city instead of just greeting. And at last, the fights among the citizens seemed to cease whenever the new law bringer was in town.

Walking up to the saloon dubbed 'Moriarty's', he opened the door and walked inside. Sitting down at the counter, he got a wink from Nova before turning to the man behind the counter. Or, what used to be a man. Gob was a ghoul, a human so ravaged by radiation that the skin on their body began to rot and fall off. However, that was the only side effect. Those that didn't turn feral still had the ability to talk, move, reproduce, and were even unaffected by further radiation. Though they were still human at heart, very few people liked to treat them as humans, as was the case with Gob. He had practically become a slave to Moriarty.

"What'll it be champ?" asked the ghoul in his gruff voice.

"Just some water and food for now." said the wanderer as he leaned on the bar. A man sitting in the corner who wore a pre-war business suit looked over his glasses at the gun slung across the mans back. Moriarty came in the front door of the tavern and went to walk in the back when he noticed the weapon as well.

"So lad, when you plan on sellin' me that weapon ya got there?" he asked in his thick foreign accent. John glared at him, making him shrug. "Just thought you'd like to know where your da has gone too. Might be obliged to tell you for that little trinket you found." said the shop owner.

John smiled and pulled the short weapon from his back. Setting it on the counter, he looked at the man. "So, you want this weapon in exchange for the information?" he asked. The man turned and looked at the wanderer curiously. Walking up to the counter where the weapon lay, he looked into the water blue eyes of the vault dweller.

"You'd be willin' to part with it?" asked the shop owner.

"Sure." said the wanderer. He secretly pushed a pressure switch he had found on the weapon the same night he aquired it. A hissing sound came from the weapon and the barrel shot forward until the gauss rifle was full length, the tip slamming into the bar owners stomach. Moriarty bent over and stepped back from the counter as some of the inn patrons sniggered to themselves. "Go ahead Moriarty. Take it." he said with his finger loosely on the trigger.

"I'm not that stupid boyo." he said as he stood again, trying to maintain his pride.

"Could have fooled me." said the man as he pressed the switch again, causing the weapon to fold in on itself for easy transport. His father had taught him a great many things growing up, such as how to repair machines and weapons, as well as historical things like old computers and whatnot. As such, it only took him a night to comprehend how to fully use his new weapon. Sliding it across his back again, he took the bottle of water that Gob handed him and took a drink from it, dousing his cigarette in the ashtray at the same time.

Taking his food and water, he went and sat at one of the tables in the tavern and began to eat his lovely meal of meat on a stick. He didn't know what the meat was, and he didn't want to know. As long as it filled him and wasn't poisonous, it didn't matter. He was suddenly aware that the man in the pre-war suit was staring at him.

Noticing that he had been caught, the man stood up and walked over to the wanderers table. Pulling out a chair, he sat down with a smile. "That's a nice weapon you got there." said the man.

John leaned back in the chair staring at the newcomer. "You want to try to buy it too?" he asked with a smirk.

The man held up his hand, hiding his eyes under the rim of his hat. "Please, I'm not foolish. I only came here to make a proposition." he said. "It could make you very wealthy."

Still leaning back, he finished his food and threw the stick aside. Then lit another clover. "I'm interested. Keep talking." he said.

Leaning forward, the man lowered his voice. John, seeing that he wanted his business quiet, leaned forward also. "I work for a very powerful man. A man who wants Megaton...gone." he said silently. John stared at him wide-eyed for a moment before reacting.

"Gone?" he asked.

"Gone." replied the man. "This place is nothing but a pool of filth and rot. It would be very profitable for me and you both if it were to, disappear." he said.

John puffed on the clover for a second, deep in thought. "And how do I go about taking out the town?" he asked.

"You know the bomb at the center of the town correct?" asked the man as he cleaned his glasses with a handkerchief. John nodded. "My employer has given me a device that will trigger the bomb and take the town out with it. All you have to do is set it and press the button from a safe distance."

At that moment, John stood and finished his water before putting the cigarette in his mouth again. "Mr...Burke, is it?" asked the wanderer.

The man nodded. "You've heard my name around town no doubt." he said, getting a replied nod.

"Well, Mr. Burke, as for your offer, I'd have to say that I decline." he said picking up his shotgun and resting it on his shoulder. "I suggest you leave town before I really show you what this weapon can do."

The man looked at him shocked. "I don't think you understand how wealthy..."

John cut the man off by slamming his hand down forcefully on the table, startling most of the inn patrons. "No, I don't think you understand." he said leaning down and letting the gun barrel rest in the mans lap. "This town may be some little scum hole to a wealthy asshole, but to these people, its all they have." he said. "Now, you have one of two options. You can try to stay, and I can decorate the floor with your balls. Or, you can leave and go tell Mr. Moneybags that this town isn't going anywhere." he said.

"You fool...You don't know the mistake you are making." said Mr. Burke as he began to sweat with the shotgun barrel in his lap.

"What was that? You want to stay?" asked John with a smirk.

"No!" shouted the man as he leaned back in his chair quickly. "No...please...I'll leave." he said. John put the gun on his shoulder again as he puffed the clover, and Mr. Burke got to his feet, then headed for the entrance. John turned back around and took another puff before sitting down. Suddenly, there was a gasp, and a gunshot. He spun around with his shotgun ready, when he saw Mr. Burke fall to the ground with a pistol in his hand and blood splattered across his white suit.

John looked over the counter at the man holding a rifle. Gob looked back at John and smiled in a skeleton-like manner. "He pulled a gun. Couldn't have him shooting you in the back." said the ghoul. John smiled.

"Thanks Gob, you're my hero." he said as he walked towards the man who was gasping for breath. "So, a murderer, and now a coward." said the wonderer. Taking the man by the shirt, he lifted him up, then kicked the door open and took him outside. Throwing him against the railing, he cocked his shotgun. "Any last words?" he asked.

"You..." said the man with a glare. Suddenly, his head vanished from his body as the barrel of the shotgun roared.

Nova walked out as he finished the deed and crossed her arms. "I do hate it when they waste their last words on threats." he said as the headless body fell over the railing into the trash pile used by the town below.

"Was that really necessary?" she asked.

He looked at her, throwing the clover over the edge with the man. "Of course." he said with a smile, the walked off.

She sighed and shook her head. "Men..." she said. "Where are you going now?" she asked as he headed down the stairs towards the bomb.

"Need to tell the sheriff what he was planning. He might have hired someone else." he said, when he was stopped in his tracks by the sound of gunfire. Looking at her, she waved her hand, telling him urgently to go, and he took off towards the sound.

OoOoO

Lucas Simms sat with his back against the wall of the Bronze Lantern, his assault rifle in his hands. He went to look around the corner at his target, when suddenly the corner of the small restaurant exploded with gunfire. He ducked further behind the store, wiping blood from his cheek where a bullet had grazed him.

"Damn..." he said. "This guy is too good..." he said as he looked for another avenue of approach. Suddenly, his heart jumped into his throat as he heard the sound of boots landing beside him. Turning, the assailant grabbed his gun and aimed it away before he could fire.

"You know, one of these times you are gonna kill me if you keep swinging that thing around." said the vault dweller. Lucas looked at him and sighed.

"Damn you John...you damn near gave me a heart attack." he said. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked.

"Just thought I'd bring you some information on the late Mr. Burke when I heard some gunfire. What the hell is going on here?" he asked as he noticed rounds randomely striking the hill next to the building.

"I saw someone messing with the bomb in the center of town. As soon as I stopped him and asked what he was doing, he grabbed his weapon and opened fire. I was lucky, if he had been aiming I wouldn't be of this world right now." he said.

"He's rigging the bomb to explode." said John as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "We need to take him out and have someone disarm that device!" he said.

"The only way we could do that is to put a sniper up there." he said pointing at the walkways above. "He'll be too busy eyeing down here to notice someone that far away up there, then when we take him out, we have to have someone take the device out before it explodes."

"Do you know how to disarm it?" he asked. Lucas shook his head.

"Son, I don't know the first thing about that kinda stuff." he said as he lowered his head. "We have to hurry, we don't know if there is a timer on that thing."

"Dammit..." he said, then pulled the short weapon off his back. "Here, take this up top and take that guy out. When you finish him, I'll rush in and try to take out the explosive." he said as he pressed the pressure switch, extending the barrel. Lucas thought the plan through momentarily before nodding and heading up the hill to the walkways. "Oh...and Lucas?" said the wanderer.

The dark skinned man turned. "What is it?"

"Be careful with aiming that thing. The rounds are explosive..." he said, then turned towards the corner.

The sheriff smiled as he turned and headed up the hill. "No need to worry about that." he said.

OoOoO

It seemed like time slowed down. As soon as John heard the roar of the rifle from above, he turned around the corner and sprinted for the bomb, just in time to see the mans arm separate from his shoulder. Screaming painfully, the raider picked his weapon up and aimed to fire at the man running up to the detonator. Suddenly, blood from his other arm splattered on his face. Looking down at both of his limbs laying on the ground, he suddenly fainted.

John ran forward as the man fell unconscious. Reaching the bomb, he reopened the hatch on the side and used the light on his pip-boy to illuminate the inside. It was a highly complex bomb, with the core sitting right in the center. Sitting, hidden beneath the radioactive core was a small device that had been wired to the core. The timer on the devices display showed thirty seconds before the explosion.

Taking a knife from his boot, the vault dweller pulled out the many wires connecting the two devices. "One of these is the real one, the rest are false. Can't cut the wrong one..." he said as he began to run numbers through his head. He remembered back to what his father used to teach him about the weapons that destroyed the world. "Okay, the wire has to be connected to the explosive panels somehow, so all the wires leading elsewhere are just dummies..." he said quickly as he sorted the wires out. "That leaves four, these two are leading to the arming system of the core, these two are leading to the core itself." he said.

Lucas walked up staring at the wanderer as he worked. "Boy, I hope you know what you are doing..."

"Core or arming system?" he asked with his eyes closed. Suddenly, his eyes opened wide. "Arming system. Going to the core wouldn't detonate the plates, it would have to send a charge to the arming system and force start the bombs explosion." he said as he checked the two wires.

"Ten seconds..." said Lucas as his eyes widened. John pulled on the wires and put his blade behind them. "Five seconds..."

"Alright!" he said, then looked at the wires and noticed something. Taking his knife, he cut one of the wires and the timer stopped at 00:02. John's breath was held inside as the timer blinked three times, then hit zero. Looking up at the core, he released his breath and fell backwards. He layed on the ground and took another cigarette from his pocket, then lit it.

"Son of a bitch..." said Simms as he sat down next to the vault dweller. "You actually did it." he said.

"Thanks to you." said the man, getting a look from the sheriff. "If you hadn't stumbled across our little terrorist here, then he might have finished what he was doing." he said inhaling smoke from the clover. "One of the wires connected to the arming system wasn't attached, leaving only one wire to cut. I'm assuming its because he had to rush when you spotted him and started questioning him." he said.

Lucas smiled. "I don't suppose you could do me a favor." he said.

"And what would that be?" asked John as he looked over at the man.

"Make sure this doesn't happen again. I want you to permanently disarm this damn bomb..." he said.

"I can do that..." said John as he sat up. "All I have to do is remove the explosive plates, then the thing is harmless....well, aside from the radiation it lets off that poisons our water supply." he said sarcastically.

"Good...do that, and I'll make sure you don't have to stay at Moriarty's anymore."

John got to his feet and dusted himself off before noticing the woman walking up to him. "Nova? What are you doing here?" he asked. She smiled and handed something to him.

"Just thought you would want to hear this..." she said sweetly. John looked at the device, noticing a play button on it. Pressing the button, it started to play back a message.

_"The targets name is John Ronas. Another do-gooder who thinks he can clean up the wasteland. You've been sent a picture with this message, so make sure he is good as dead before you come back asking for your reward. The boss will pay 2000 caps to the one who brings his head in. Condor out."_

John stared at the recorder for a moment before looking up at Nova. "Where did you get this?" he asked.

"Burke had it on his body. When you left, I figured I might as well search him for any valuables and found that." she said.

"So, Burke was planning on blowing me up with the town?" he said. "He had someone already planting a device to detonate the bomb, then he was going to try to convince me to blow it up. But by the time I got to the bomb and rigged it, it would have already exploded." he said.

"That's the way it seems. It looks like your good deeds have made you a wasteland outlaw honey." said Nova eyeing him hungrily. "That's kinda sexy."

He smirked at her, then played the recording again. "Who is this Condor?" he asked.

"Never heard of him. But I can tell you that you will be the first to know if I do." said the sheriff. "Now then, here, this is yours." said the dark skinned man as he handed a key on a ring to the wanderer.

Taking the trinket, he looked at it curiously. "What is this?" he asked.

"The key to your new house. It's all yours as soon as this bomb is decommissioned." he said, then handed back his weapon. "Now, I've got other stuff to do. So I'll be seeing you later." he said as he wandered off.

John sighed and looked at the bomb. "Well, here we go again..." he said as he took his combat knife and began to work on the bomb with Nova watching behind him.


	4. Robots & Vampires

OoO( 4 )OoO

The man laid on the hill, a cigarette in his mouth as he looked through the scope on his high powered sniper rifle. Sweat ran down his forehead as he watched the door of his intended target. His heart jumped as someone walked up to the door and knocked on it. He smirked as he saw the blonde girl nervously knock on the patrons door.

"Mmm...not bad." he said as his eyes drifted down to her rear end. "Not bad at all." he said as he tossed the cigarette. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he sighed as the girl walked away from the door. "Where the hell is this clown?" he asked as he reached for his cigarettes again.

"Probably not home." said a voice behind him. His heart jumped into his throat as he heard the voice. He thought about grabbing the pistol at his side, however that thought vanished as he felt the barrel of a shotgun press against the back of his head.

Sighing, the man smiled and headbutted the ground. "Caught me with my pants down." he said.

The wanderer behind him smirked. "Not yet." he said. "Now stand up." The man placed both hands on the ground and got to his feet, turning to face the man.

John reached down and grabbed the gun from the mans side and holstered it in his own belt. "So, who sent you?" he asked.

"You know I'm not gonna tell you that." said the mercenary.

The man smiled. "I know." Pulling the trigger on the shotgun, he fired buckshot into the ground at the mercenaries feet, making the man back up against the cliff that the man had stationed himself on. "It's a long drop down there. Lots of shit in the way of the ground too." he said as he cocked the shotgun and aimed it up at the mercenaries crotch. "But...you'll be hoping you die when you hit the ground if you don't answer me."

The sweat began to pour down the mans forehead as he looked down at the smoking barrel. "Alright, just get that damn gun away from me." he said. Taking the shotgun away from the mans lower half, he nodded. The mercenary sighed. "I was sent by a group called Talon Company."

"Who is Talon Company?" asked the wanderer as he picked up the mans sniper rifle.

"It's a large mercenary company that does odd jobs for anyone who pays." he said.

"So, who hired Talon Company to take me out?" asked John as he looked the mans clothes up and down.

"I don't know. I was just told to find you and kill you. It's my job not to ask questions." said the mercenary as he watched where the barrel of the mans gun was aiming. "So, are you going to kill me or let me go. Whatever you decide to do, do it quick." he finished as he crossed his arms.

John reached forward and took a pair of sunglasses hanging from the mans coat pocket and put them on, then grinned widely.

OoOoO

"What the hell is wrong with you!" shouted the mercenary as he walked backwards away from the town, covering his naked form as best he could with only his hands.

"Wave goodbye to the nice man." John said to the sheriff. Lucas smirked and waved.

"Come again real soon! We could use some more weapons!" said the dark skinned man as the mercenary flipped him off. Simms smirked and grabbed the new sniper rifle he bought off the wanderer and aimed it at the mercenary. The merc saw the action, then turned and began to run. John and Lucas both laughed loudly as they watched him dash off into the desert.

"You got one hell of a way of making enemies, you know that?" asked Nova behind them as she watched the spectacle.

John turned to the woman with a confident smile. "That's alright. More enemies means more equipment." he said as he walked towards her. "Now, Moriarty wouldn't be to happy you were out here, so what is it you needed?" he asked.

She crossed her arms and glared at him. "I came to tell you that someone in town is looking for you." she said.

He raised his hands defensively as he looked at her through the shaded glasses. "Easy now. Who's trying to find me? More mercenaries?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, it's a girl named Lucy. She has lived in town for a while and comes to the bar ever so often. But, this time she was worried about something. She asked where she could find you, so I sent her to your house, but you weren't there. So here I am." she said.

"Alright, well, send her to my house again, I'll be there this time." he said as he walked off towards the small apartment built into the back of the Brass Lanterns upper floor.

When he opened the door, he turned on the lamp he made out of parts from the detonator he defused a week prior. The apartment lit up as he walked forward and looked at the heap of scrap on the floor. "Finally got what I needed for you my friend." he said as he took the duster off, as well as his armor and shirt. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, he opened a panel on the disemboweled robots underside and began to work on the machine.

After a few minutes, there came a knock on the door. "Who is it?" he shouted, now sporting a lit cigarette in his mouth.

"It's...It's Lucy. Nova told me you would be here..." said a timid girl at the door.

"Alright Lucy, here is what you are going to do. Open the door very slowly, then step over the wire connected to the door." he said, never ceasing his work.

She did as instructed and closed the door behind her. The blonde girl looked over and noticed the long barrel shotgun rigged to fire on anyone who opened the door too quickly. He looked up at her before taking the clover out of his mouth. She wasn't wearing anything extravagant, the same as anyone in the wasteland really. Her bright blonde hair was up in a ponytail, but he noticed she had green eyes that seemed to sparkle. All in all, she was very attractive.

"So Lucy, what can I do for you?" he asked as he continued his maintenence.

She stayed silent for a moment before finally getting the nerve to speak. "I...I have a favor to ask..." she said.

"I'm listening." he said as he looked inside, using the pip-boy's light to see inside the contraption. "Hand me that wrench." he said pointing to the tool that was sitting on a makeshift work bench he made. She reached over and grabbed the heavy tool, trying not to look at his naked upper half.

"I want you to visit my family." she said to him as he took the wrench from her. He looked up at her oddly. "When I moved here, my parents would send me a letter every week telling me how they were doing. But...it's been three weeks now and I've heard nothing from any of them. I'm very worried and I'd like you to go see what happened." she said.

"What makes you think anything is wrong? Maybe they are just busy." he said before jerking his hand out of the contraption from an electric shock.

"They wouldn't go this long without saying something." she said fidgeting as she finally let her eyes examine him. "They have mailed me something every week for almost six months now. They wouldn't stop now."

A loud clicking sound came from inside the robot, making him stand up and look at it. Sealing it back up, he stood back and lit another cigarette. Cocking his foot back, he kicked it hard enough to make it roll. Suddenly, it sparked to life as the three limbs lifted it from the ground. Holding itself up, the bottom activated, shooting air through a high powered motor, allowing it to float. It steadied itself before turning to John.

"Good evening sir!" it said. "The name is Wadsworth, what can I do for you?" asked the machine in a cheery manner.

"Run a diagnostic of all new systems installed." he said, then turned to the girl. She seemed startled as she saw the robot and hid behind him. "What's the matter?" he asked.

"Isn't that thing dangerous?" she asked. He smirked.

"Only if you have a weapon in your hands." he said. "I've reconfigured it so that it attacks only when someone aside from me draws a weapon, or has a weapon in their hands. Can't be too safe when people are after you." he said. "Now, about your parents..." he said.

"It's not just my parents...but my little brother Ian." she said. He nodded as he took a puff from the clover.

"Alright, about your family...I'm assuming you aren't going because it's not that close." he said.

She nodded. "It's in a town called Arefu. It was built on an overpass to make sure enemies came up the road to get to the town."

"So that they'd be funneled in and easy targets." he said. "Where is this town, and who am I looking for?" he asked. She smiled widely before hugging him.

"Thank you so much...I was..." she said, then realized that she hugged a complete stranger. "Uh...sorry about that. I'm just very greatful." she said as she looked down at the ground in embarresment. "I'm afraid I can't pay you...so far all my money has gone to food and rent at Moriarty's and my job..."

"Don't worry about it." he said as he put the cigarette out in an ashtray he swiped from the inn. "But, I'm not going to do this for free, so here's what I'm going to do." he said as he stretched himself out. She looked away again, trying not to stare at his muscular chest. "From now on, you live here. When I get back, you work for me and receive your pay from me." he said.

She looked at him startled. "Doing what?" she asked worriedly.

"Well, when I get out, I travel a lot. So I will need someone reporting anything going on in the town to me while I'm out. Wadsworth here could do that, but he doesn't leave the house. So, I'll need you to collect information from around town and send it to me via radio." he said.

"How will I do that?" she asked curiously.

He pointed to an old CB radio he found trashed outside. "I've rigged it so that this radio can communicate directly with my pip-boy." he said showing her the computer attached to his arm. "I'll just need a report every night, and of course you should probably report any incidents that happen. You will be like my secretary." he said as he took his knife and began carving something into the top of the radio.

"21.6?" she asked as she read the curious carving.

"That's the frequency on which you can find me. So, do we have a deal?" he asked her.

She looked up at him, shocked from the new development, but smiling. "Thank you...I'll do my best." she said.

He smirked. "Good. Besides, now that Wadsworth is alive and kicking, he'll need some company." he said.

OoOoO

The desert sun had set, leaving an orange glow covering the land. The trip hardly took a day, however he figured that it was still better he came seeing as he ran into a band of nasty looking super mutants on the way to the town. A few quick and well placed shots with his high powered long rifle was enough to put them away.

He was not on a hill directly in front of the overpass, looking through the scope on his rifle. He noticed a small barricade placed at the front of the road leading up to the city. After a few minutes, he saw movement behind the barricade. Focusing on where he saw the movements, he watched a little closer before seeing a man in a baseball style cap with a hunting rifle and a belt full of grenades stand up and stretch himself out.

After scanning the landscape further, he was comfortable that this man was the only guard. Putting away his weapon, he made sure his hands were up in the air as he walked towards the overpass. He passed by a small farmhouse, noticing that the brahmin in the pens were all dead. He continued heading to the over pass, walking up the destroyed highway road with his hands high in the air.

Suddenly, the sound of a clinking across the road alerted him. Looking down, he saw a grenade land at his feet. Panicking, he cocked his foot back and kicked the object before diving behind a torched car. The object flew off the side of the overpass and exploded, sending shrapnel soaring in all directions. When the explosion died down, the wanderer looked up through the window of the vehicle he used for cover.

"Are you out of your damn mind!" he shouted.

"Who the hell are you and what do you want?" the guard shouted back.

"I came here with my hands up! Is this how you treat peaceful newcomers!"

"Stand up and move slowly towards me!" shouted the guard.

Cursing to himself, John complied with the orders and raised his hands again, then stepped out from behind the car and walked up the bridge. When he arrived at the barricade, the man with the hat came out from behind the wall, pointing the hunting rifle at him.

"You know, I could have killed you before I ever got to the overpass if I wanted to. It's not kind to piss off peaceful people." he said.

"Shut up and put your weapons on the ground." said the man forcefully, aiming the rifle in the wanderers face. John quickly grabbed the barrel and jerked the weapon aside, his other hand grabbing the pistol that he had in his belt and aiming it upwards at the mans jaw.

"Now then, let go of the rifle." said John. The man slowly released his hold on the weapon and raised his hands.

"Easy now son..." said the guard.

John glared at him, then cocked back and punched him across the face. The man fell to the ground, shocked at the sudden attack. "I had my hands up too before you threw that grenade asshole."

The man got to his feet as the wanderer put his weapon away. "Sorry lad, but you can never be too sure. We've been getting attacked left and right these past few weeks by the family, and I thought that maybe you were one of them."

The wanderer looked at him curiously. "The Family?" he asked.

"Aye...they have been attacking us constantly. I don't know why they would, but the last time they attacked, they killed all of our brahmin." he said. "By the way, my name is Evan. Evan King." said the guard as he rubbed his jaw sorely.

"John Ronas. I was sent here by Lucy West to check up on her family." he said as he lit a cigarette in the darkness.

"Ah, good ol' Lucy." said Evan with a smile. "I miss that girls bright smile." he said.

"Can you tell me where her family lives? I have a message for them."

"Sure can. But can you do me a favor and make sure everybody else is alright?" asked the guard. "Just knock on all the door and see if everyone has everything they need." he said as he took his rifle back from the man.

"I can do that. Just tell me which house is the West's. I'll hit them last." he said taking a puff. Evan pointed back past all the visible doors.

"Back their, if you go around the right side of that house there'll be two doors. The one directly in front of you will be the West's." he said. John nodded and walked past the man towards the first door.

OoOoO

Walking away from the final door at the end of the row, the wanderer left swearing. "People act like its my fault they are having trouble..." he said angrily as he turned around the building and headed for the door that was immediately in front of him. Raising his hand, he knocked loudly. "Hello? Mr. and Mrs. West?" he shouted.

There was no response however. Testing the door handle, he saw that it was locked. "Dammit..." he said, his mood not improving. Taking his shotgun off, he raised the butt stock and slammed it into the handle, knocking it completely off. Pushing against the door, he got resistance. He began to slam his shoulder heavily into the door until finally whatever was in the way moved. The door swung open, and the sight inside made the wanderers jaw drop.

Covering his mouth and nose with his forearm, he stepped inside to see two bodies laying on the bed, both of them with their throats torn out and their bodies rotting away. He turned and stepped out of the house, leaning over the barrier of the overpass in case he lost what meager rations he had eaten. Once his stomach calmed down, he covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve again and stepped inside, looking around.

Both of the bodies had wedding rings. "The parents..." he said silently as he continued to look around the small house. But, there was nothing else. Leaving the house, he closed the door behind him. Walking back to the guard, he looked at him. "The West's are dead." he said urgently.

Evan King looked at him stunned. "How?" he asked.

"It looks like something tore their throats out." he said trying to get the image out of his head. "They've been dead a while now, how is it that you are just now finding out?" he asked, his temper rising again.

Evan sat down on the makeshift chair he had for the barricade. "Son, there is only one person who guards this town. I don't ever have the chance to leave here now with the Family attacks. All the people just stay locked up inside their houses, I didn't realize anything had happened to them." he said as he lowered his head.

John sighed. "Look, they were dead, but the little brother, Ian, wasn't inside. I didn't see his body anywhere."

Evan looked up. "He wasn't with his parents?" he asked. John shook his head. "That must mean that the Family took him with them..."

"Where?" asked the wanderer, throwing his cigarette aside.

"I don't know. I do know that they head east when it starts to get light." said Evan as he took a cigarette that John offered him.

"What are their numbers? I may be able to track them."

"The attack parties have about ten with them. They attack us, shoot at the barricade, then just leave." he said.

"I'll be back later." said John as he turned and began to walk away.

Evan stood up quickly. "Wait..." he said. The vault dweller turned around and looked at him. "Please...find Ian. Don't let them do anything to him..."

John nodded, then turned and cocked his shotgun, sending a spent shell riquochetting off the asphault of the overpass...


	5. New Transylvania

OoO( 5 )OoO

After travelling east for two hours following the tracks left behind by the family, the wanderer found himself at an old torn down section of a city. Searching the area, he found a staircase leading down into a subway tunnel. Opening the gateway, he stepped into the darkened structure before heading down further into the dank cavern.

Lighting up his pip-boy, he traveled with his shotgun raised, slowly progressing through the tunnel. His eyes scanned the enclosed space, his feet moving forward slowly. He had already dodged several traps laid by whoever inhabited the place, but he knew their were many more. He moved down a tunnel that had nearly been blocked by a decimated train. There was a narrow pathway around the train that led to the other side, providing a way through.

He shined the light along the pathway, checking for anymore traps. The path was clean, so he slowly began to move around the train to the other side. Suddenly, a noise alerted him and he turned to face the perpetrator with his shotgun raised. Walking forward slowly, he saw a machine sitting in the corner next to the train.

The machine caught him completely off guard as he approached carefully. It fired a round object at him at high speed, hitting him in the stomach and bringing him to his knees. The gunman held his stomach painfully as another projectile was launched, impacting his cheek and sending him to the ground. He rolled over painfully as the machine launched more of the round objects over his head and against the far wall. Getting to his hands and knees painfully, he picked up the object and lit it up with his pip-boy.

Growling, he spit blood onto the floor before standing up out of the fire zone. "A damn baseball machine?" he asked looking at the old contraption. Rubbing his jaw painfully, he pressed forward until he spotted a small guard post. Turning off his light, he pulled out his rifle and looked through the scope. A single guard stood in front of a chain link gate that led deeper inside the tunnels. Smiling to himself, he looked down at the baseball on the ground.

He picked up the object, then stood up and took up the proper stance. Hurling the ball forward, the object flew over the guards head and smashed into the tin wall behind the guard, creating a heart exploding racket. The guard nearly jumped out of his skin as he got to his feet and aimed the gun at the wall, looking around for whatever caused the noise. Moving forward, he looked back and forth, noticing that there was nothing there. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something move on the ground. Aiming his weapon, he saw the baseball setting in between cracks in the ground. The guard took a long second to look at the object before he knelt down and picked it up to examine it further.

He looked at the baseball for a moment before turning around, just in time to receive a blow from the butt of a shotgun.

OoOoO

A short time later, the guard awoke to find himself with his hands tied behind his back. Looking up, he saw a dark figure with a cigarette in its mouth sitting cross legged on the barricade he had set up. "Wh...who are you?" he asked.

"I'll be asking the questions." said the man. Taking the shotgun from his shoulder, he set it across his own lap. "Depending on your answers, you may get out of this alive." he said as he took a puff from the cig. "Now, who are you? And who are they?" he asked, referring to the din of voices beyond the gate.

"I'm only the guard...and we are the Family." said the man.

"Good, so I'm in the right place. Now, where is the boy, Ian?" asked the figure.

"The West boy? He's inside. Vance took him into the family."

The dark figure stayed silent for a moment as if thinking. Then said, "The boy came willingly?" he asked. The guard nodded and the figure put his cigarette out. "We'll see. Now, stand up." The guard stood and the figure put the shotgun on his back. Taking the machine gun the guard had previously owned, he pointed it at the mans back. "Let's go meet the rest of the family." he said with a smirk.

Together the pair walked into the center of a large decomissioned subway station. There were at least a hundred people sitting at tables and walking around here and there. Suddenly, John began to regret this plan of action. Finally, someone gasped as they noticed the pair. Every eye in the large room focused on the two, causing the gunman to press the barrel into the mans back.

"Call the leader." said John nervously. He was outnumbered by a landslide, and if he had to fight his way out, he might not make it.

"Lord Vance...we have a visitor..." said the guard. A man in black armor, with equally black hair stepped from the crowd and approached the two.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked with his hands wide, showing he had no weapon.

"I'm here looking for someone. Perhaps you can help me find him." said the wonderer, lighting another cigarette in case it was his last.

Vance stepped forward in front of the pair, and John bumped the guard out of the way, letting his friends untie him. However, his gun never left their leader. "Perhaps I can. Who is it you wish to find?" asked the man with eerie green eyes.

"I'm looking for Ian West. He lived in Arefu until recently." he said as smoke drifted from the tip of the cigarette that sat in his mouth.

The man nodded. "It seems today is your lucky day. Ian is here with us. But before you go, I would ask you to put your weapons away. There is no hostility here and we wish to keep it that way."

"How can I be sure that your people won't kill me once I drop my weapon?" asked the wanderer.

"If we were so barbaric as to kill you without talking to you, then we would have killed you already." he said. "The life of one man means nothing to savages." he said, referring to the guard.

John nodded and lowered the machine gun. Everyone around the room seemed to sigh in relief as the weapon was put away. "Your words are true. But I would like to ask a few questions before I go looking for the boy." he said.

"Let us speak in my office upstairs." said the man with a smile. Even in the dark, the wanderer noticed two pointed canine teeth in the smile. The implications gave him chills as he followed the man to a small business looking room. Sitting in one of the chairs, Vance leaned back casually and put his feet up on the desk. "So, ask away." he said.

John sat opposite of him with his back against the wall. "What is this Family, and why are you attacking Arefu?" he asked crossing his arms.

The black haired man thought a moment before speaking. "Let's say that the family is a group of people with an unusual hunger..." he said.

"Human blood." John said.

Midly surprised, Vance nodded. "I see, you figured us out. It is as you say. We hunger for human blood, and our bodies have evolved to suit such a hunger so as we cannot live without it." he said. "Normally, we have to make due off of animal blood considering the fact that not nearly enough human blood can be extracted without killing them. As well, we don't have nearly enough 'volunteers' to donate to us willingly. So, we normally make ourselves useful by taking out raider groups in the area." he said.

John leaned forward, interested. "That is useful, however, that doesn't explain why you attacked Arefu."

"That is because we did not attack Arefu. We mearly watched it. If you are looking for a reason, you need look no further than the boy himself." said the vampire.

The wanderer raised an eyebrow curiously. "Ian? Why were you watching him?"

"You no doubt saw his parents when you visited the town." said the dark haired man through a pair of slanted eyes. John nodded silently. "Would it be so farfetched to believe that we did not do that to his parents?"

"Then who..." asked the vault dweller, then stopped. "Ian?" he asked.

The dark haired man nodded. "It started a couple of weeks ago. We send out scouts to find others like us and, if possible, find doners so that we can continue to live peacefully. We so happened to send one to Arefu, where he found Ian. It is farely easy for us to tell one of our own kind. So we watched the town. The man...King, I believe his name was, assumed we were up to no good so he began to guard the town. We left one day and a bunch of raiders attacked the town. Of course, they didn't get that far up the bridge before turning back."

"And King thought they were part of the family." said John as he did the math. "That's why he said you attacked the town."

"Indeed. It was a few nights ago while we were watching the town that we smelled blood. I personally went to the town and snuck past Mr. King. I entered the boys home, and his parents were dead. I offered to bring him here to live with us, where we could help him and make him part of a family. He accepted, and he is here now. I drained some of the blood from the parents corpses to fill myself and brought him here. And now here you are."

"And now here I am." said John. "I was sent by his sister to find him."

Sitting up, the vampire nodded. "I see, well, he is free to go if he wishes."

John stood. "Can you take me to him?" he asked, getting a nod from Vance. He led the wanderer up a set of broken escalators to a room that was one of many. Opening the door, John walked in and saw a young man sitting on the bed. "Ian?" he asked.

The boy looked up at him. "Who are you?" he asked as Vance closed the door and left them alone.

"My name is John. I'm glad to see you are alright." he said.

The boy grimaced and held his head in his hands as he looked at the ground. "I'm not alright...I'm sick." he said.

"I understand what you mean..." said John, not really understanding at all. "I was sent here to give you a message from your sister."

Looking up again, the boy eyed him curiously. "How do you know her?" he asked.

"We live in Megaton together. She was worried, so I said I'd come check up on you."

"It's better that she doesn't know what became of me." he said looking down sadly. "I killed our parents, she would never forgive me for that." John sat down on the bed next to the boy and took out a clover, lighting it.

"She doesn't have to know." he said. "I know what you did, and I know it's because you couldn't control yourself. Whatever happened isn't your fault." he said puffing on the cigarette. "I know it may seem like things are really confusing right now. But, there is always a light that leads us in the right direction." he said as he took the letter from his dusters inner pocket. Handing it to the boy, he stood up and walked towards the door. "Whatever you decide to do, be sure you do so because its whats best for you. Don't collapse in on yourself over something thats out of your control. Live life." he said, then left the room.

The boy watched him go, stunned to speechlessness before looking down and opening the envelope.

OoOoO

"So, you say you may have a solution to our problem?" asked Vance, back in his office with John standing in front of him.

The wanderer nodded. "I do, and its rather simple. The people of Arefu can supply you with the blood needed to keep your clan alive. I believe you have a medic here that can see to the transfusions." he said, getting a nod from the leader. "In return, you protect the town and its people from raiders and others who wish to do it harm. Simple as that." he said.

Vance scratched his chin in thought before looking up at the man. "An interesting bargain. If the people of Arefu are willing to agree to this, then my clan will as well." he said. Suddenly, the appearance of Ian in the doorway caught his attention. John turned to look at the boy as well. "I see you have left the room. Does this mean that you have decided what it is you wish to do?" asked the vampire.

Ian nodded. "I have. I've decided, that I'd like to go back to Arefu." he said.

Vance frowned momentarily. "I see. Well, you are free to come and go as you please." he said, then smiled. "Besides, we will be seeing more of each other if this treaty goes through anyway." he said. "Do whatever it is that you feel is right." said the man.

Ian smiled and nodded. "I'm going to live in my parents house. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me. And...thank you for your help." said the boy. Vance nodded and John smiled.

OoOoO

Nearly a week had passed when John returned to Megaton. He walked through the gates and the first person to see him was Lucas Simms. Lucas smiled and nodded to the wanderer, getting a look of dread from the man.

Lucas' smile faded as the shotgun wielding wastelander approached. "Things didn't go as well as you hoped?" he asked.

He shook his head. "Her parents died..." he said. "I found her little brother, and he is fine now, but...I don't know." he said looking at the ground. "I just don't know how to tell her."

The dark skinned man placed a hand on John's shoulder with a small smile. "Don't worry, she's strong." he said.

"I hope so..." said the man as he walked towards his house.

Lucy had been out shopping and was on her way back when she spotted John walking through the town. Smiling brightly, she ran over to him.

Lucas watched with a heavy heart as the two interacted. He couldn't hear what was being said, but he could tell it wouldn't end well. Lucy's smiling face vanished as she looked at the ground. Tears began to flow and she fell to her knees. John was quickly at her side, comforting her. Lucas closed his eyes and shook his head.

"God damn this world..." he said as he looked up at the sun.


	6. Fireworks

OoO( 6 )OoO

"So...you say that an escaped slave told you this?" asked John through the pip-boy on his arm.

_"Yes, they said that they got away from someplace to the northwest called Paradise Falls." _replied Lucy. _"They were badly injured when they got here. I questioned him a bit while at the doctors place and found out where he came from." _she said.

"Are there any recognizable landmarks for this place?" he asked as he looked through the scope of his rifle into the distance.

_"He mentioned a giant statue holding ice cream or something." _she said, hoping that helped him.

The man smirked as he saw the statue in his scope. "Whenever you get the chance, tell him that it'll be taken care of."

_"Alright, also you should know that his little brother is still being held there. If you are going to do something, be careful." _she said through the CB before the radio cut off.

"Convenient if you ask me." said the man standing next to him.

"Convenient? How cynical. I like to think that someone out there is helping me." said John as he flicked his cigarette off into the wind.

"Also convenient. In any case, how are we going to take this?" asked the man.

John looked at the front gate and noticed no less than 4 guards sitting there. Taking his eye away from the scope, he looked around for anything that would be of use. His eyes came across a pile of cars a ways from the gate. Smiling, he pointed. "Lets start there." he said.

OoOoO

"Are you sure you can fix that thing?" asked the dark skinned man. John had the hood to a large truck opened and was digging around inside.

"Not sure, that's why I'm looking inside." he said.

"So, assuming you can fix this thing, the plan is to drive it straight into the base and kill anything that looks at us wrong?" asked the muscular figure.

"That's the gist of it. Of course, the actual plan is to get the slaves out without being harmed. If I just wanted to kill them, I'd load the truck with explosives and send it down the hill."

The black man smiled as he cracked his knuckles. "I knew there was a reason I joined you." he said. "So, when do I get to use Bianca here?" he asked fondling the handle of his rocket launcher.

John smiled, then got out and pointed at the four squares at the edge of a makeshift map they made in the sand. "Those are the slave cages. So as long as you aim your weapon away from there, it's free reign." he said. Then a question popped into his head. "So, you used to work for Talon Company right?" he asked.

The man nodded as he loaded a massive shell into the launcher. "I did. Bunch'a tight ass bastards. I joined to do what I love." he said as he emphasized the point by unlocking the safety with a loud click. "Turns out they don't like people 'accidentally' killing their clients with a rocket for using the improper term for my skin color." he said with a smile.

John smirked. "Well, I'm sure he won't get it wrong next time." he said as he slammed the hood shut. "What made you come to me?" he asked.

Setting his weapon in the passenger seat, he smiled. "Are you kidding? Talon Company has been sending mercs after your crazy ass for months now. All they ever got back was bits and pieces. So, by joining you, not only do I get to get back at those bastards for getting rid of me, but I get to do what I love in the process." he said stretching his arms.

"Well, get ready. You're about to get your fix." he said as he opened the driver door and jumped in. Cracking open the underside of the steering wheel and hotwired it. The engine started, and the other man jumped into the passenger seat, holding his weapon out the window and aiming it strait for the front gate.

"Ready for a party Barret?" asked the wanderer.

The man smiled. "I brought the fireworks." he said.

OoOoO

Sitting at the guard post at the front of paradise falls was no vacation. At least, that's what Grouse would say if you asked him. He bitched and complained about anything anymore, including being promoted to 12th in command, saying he couldn't even count that high.

He sat staring at the roof of his little shack, wondering why he had to do all the work. Getting frustrated, he slammed his fist on the table. "Damn them!" he shouted. Suddenly, something in the fading sunlight caught his eye. Taking a pair of binoculars with only one lense intact, he looked through and saw a large dust cloud. "What in the name of..." he said, when suddenly, something lit up in front of the anomaly. "Hey guys, I think we've got company." he said.

The others got up and had their rifles up and ready as they saw the bright object approaching at incredible speed. One of them suddenly realized what it was when he saw the smoke trail behind it. "RUN!" he shouted as he turned. But nobody moved fast enough when the missile finally hit their post, engulfing the entire front gate in flames and blowing all of them across the camp.

Screams and shouts were heard across the fort as the truck plowed through the flaming gate with a dark skinned man hanging out the window and laughing maniacly. "Where ya goin' boys!" he shouted as he took aim with his launcher again and fired as two armed slavers ran into a building. The projectile flew and destroyed the wall, sending one flaming slaver into the far wall while the other was impaled on a spiked cage they used to tame the more resistant slaves.

John turned the wheel and smiled. "Barret, rocket needed, 2 o'clock!" he shouted over the chaos. Looking out his window, the man smiled as he loaded another missile into the back of the launcher, then took aim and fired. The explosion took out the leg of the giant statue in the center of the camp. At first, it looked as if the structure would hold. However, after a few seconds the pressure on the second leg finally snapped it, causing the sentinel to fall forward, taking out a small hiding place for the slavers to fire from, killing three in the process.

One of the slavers ran up to and jumped on Barret's door, grabbing the launcher to keep him from firing again. John quickly drew his pistol and instantly a round flew and hit the man in the forehead, making him fall backwards as Barret pried his hands off his weapon. John applied the breaks and looked out his window. "Still quite a few left. Think you can handle them long enough for me to get the big man?" he asked.

The big man laughed. "Ha! You go do what you have to, let me take care of the small ones." he said giving the wanderer a thumbs up with the metal gauntlet he was wearing. Nodding, John jumped out of the passenger seat door, then ran straight into the building in front of him. Barret loaded his weapon again with a dark smile on his face. "Get ready for the fun part girl." he said.

John burst through the door, only to find another. Opening that door, he found himself in a room styled in that of the last century. He suddenly flew back as he felt a bullet hit him in the dead center of his chest. His back hit the door as he felt another hit him. Then another, then another, until six rounds were emptied fromt he chamber of a revolver.

He slid to the ground as a man stepped out of the darkness of the room and turned the lights on. "Hehe...thought you could just barge into my camp and destroy us? Wrong! I own this land! This is my country!" he shouted as he laughed at the body before him. Finally, he finished his rant and turned around to face two girls sitting on either side of his bed. The twins had looked away as the wanderer was shot. But when they looked back again, both of them gasped.

Eulogy Jones stopped dead in his tracks and spun around to see the man standing up again, brushing the bullets off of his vest. "You know...I was considering when I came in here whether to let you live or not. But it seems you made the decision for me." he said as he pulled the rifle from his back and activated it.

The man, dressed in night robes raised his gun again and pulled the trigger numerous times, only to hear the sickening sound of the click of an empty gun. "You're a demon..." he said before his life ended.

John pulled the trigger, shooting a superheated round through the mans chest, sending him flying and causing him to slam agains the far wall before falling onto his bed. Suddenly, he fell to his knees, breathing heavily and holding his chest. "That's a few ribs at least..." he said.

The two girls ran over to him and knelt down to help him. "Are you alright?" one asked. He nodded as he adjusted his armor. They helped him to his feet and he looked at them both.

"Are you slaves?" he asked. They both nodded to him, causing him to hold his weapon in one hand instead of two. "Come with me." he said as he turned back to the doors.

As soon as the doors opened, John could hear the carnage. Barret was laughing like crazy as the three came out of the building. The wanderer looked over and saw that the man was using a pile of bodies as a bullet shield. Smiling and turning to the truck, he opened the door and motioned for the girls to get inside. When they were safe inside, he pulled off his rifle again and loaded another cell into its chamber.

He ran over to where Barret was destroying the city and began to fight with him. Coming out of cover, he aimed down the scope at one of the male slavers who was running closer to get a better shot. Pulling the trigger, the round flew and removed his right leg from the knee down. Aiming again, he severed a mans head clean off who peeked out of cover to take a shot. Soon, even with numbers behind them, the slavers began to lose heart. Eventually, they all threw their weapons out, calling a surrender.

John stood from cover, his rifle still aimed at the four men and two women who stepped out of cover with their hands up. "Move closer." he said, making them walk until they were ten feet away.

"We give up! Please, don't kill us. We learned our lesson..." said one of the men. John smirked as an idea formed in his head. "Please, we don't wanna die..."

"Hey Barret, you got a knife?" he asked. The big man nodded and tossed him a massive knife, big enough to skin a brahmin. "Keep an eye on them. If they move, send a rocket up their ass." he said as he approached. "You, come here." he said to the first man. The man, though afraid, slowly walked forward until he stood in front of the wanderer. Taking the mans chin in one hand, John raised the knife and carved a large X across the mans cheek. Letting him go, he called the next one forward. He continued until all of them had large X's cut across their left cheeks.

Looking at all of them, he smiled as he tossed the knife back to Barret, who was now standing next to him. "All of you, remember this." he said looking at them. "That mark identifies you to me. You have now used the one chance I am giving you to live normal lives. If I come across you again, and I assure you that you will, and you are slaving, robbing, killing, even picking someones pocket, then I can promise that I will make your death a very slow, and very painful one." he said as he looked at them. "Now get the hell out of here before I let him have you." he said pointing to Barret.

Barret smiled widely and slammed his metal gauntlets together. The slavers ran with every ounce of energy they had. Barret turned to the wanderer, his smile still visible. "I like the way you think Ronas." said the man as he followed his fearless companion to the slave cages. Taking out his pistol, John shot through the lock, and kicked the door open.

"Anybody who wants out, you are free to go." he said as he stepped away from the door. Everybody inside immediately ran out the door and headed straight for the exit. John turned and looked at Barret with a smile. "All in a days work." he said. Turning, he opened the driver seat to the truck and jumped in the seat.

The large man smirked. "I think I've grown to like this work of yours." he said, then jumped into the truck as well. Starting the truck, they drove back to the city of Megaton.


	7. The Bigger They Are

OoO( 7 )OoO

The days passed as the wasteland grew quieter. Everytime the wanderer left town, it seemed as if the world grew more and more peaceful. Today, he sat in Moriarty's tavern, sipping on a semi-cool beer. He was thinking hard. He knew that the barman knew something, however getting him to spill was another matter. But that changed after a conversation with Nova.

He remembered slipping her a few extra caps in order to open her mouth more than she had already. She told him about Moriarty's computer terminal in the back, and how everything important that happened, he wrote on it. But that was all she gave him.

He smiled to himself as he lit a cigarette. That was all he needed. Now all he had to do was wait. And that's what he did. He sat and waited, watching the barman as he handed out drinks.

OoOoO

The sun had fallen as the hours went by. John still sat in the bar, now drinking what was left of a bottle of purified water he got from Wadsworth in the house. Moriarty walked up to him and glared.

"Look kid, I appreciate you hangin' out here and leerin' at me all day, but you need to get yer loiterin' ass outta my bar. We're closin'." he said.

The wanderer took a puff off his cigarette and smiled. "Whatever you say old man." he said as he stood up and walked towards the door, leaving the water bottle on the table. The barman looked at it, still half full, then grabbed it.

"Wasteful asshole." he said as he drained the bottle, then walked back behind the bar. John smirked.

"Too easy..." he said as he closed the door behind him. Instead of heading home like he'd normally do, he went around back and waited as all the lights went out. Once they were out, he knelt down near the back door and began to pick the lock. After hearing a satisfying click, he slid the door open slowly, and crept inside.

Walking past the door leading to the bar, he walked into the back room with a terminal dimly lighting the room. Sitting down, he began typing. However, he stopped as a password screen popped up and blocked his progress.

"Damn..." he said, then looked at his pip-boy. Pulling a cord off of it, he hooked it into the computer and ran a program called "Open Sesame 1.4". As the program ran, hundreds of words ran across the screen. All possible passwords on his computer. Finally, the pip-boy narrowed it down to four phrases. The man looked them over and rolled his eyes as he saw one of them. Typing in 'lotsacaps', the terminal beeped and opened its systems. "Pretentious bastard." he said as he began to search through the mans terminal.

He found what he was looking for when he opened the visitors folder. "James? That's my father..." he said as he opened the file. As he read, his eyes grew wide as all the truth he had come to learn in the vault crashed down around him.

_James (Vault 101): So, out of nowhere, James came back to Megaton. Since he stayed here before, he asked me where the hell he could get a lay of the land and find out whats going on in the world. I told him about Galaxy News Radio in the ruins of D.C., and that guy Three Dog. Then like that, he was gone again._

_I rememeber the first time he showed up almost twenty years ago. I never expected someone to actually want to or be able to get INTO a vault. But he must have had his reasons. He had his kid with him, some baby that wouldn't shut the fuck up. Normally, I would've kicked someone like that out of my place, but he had a way with words. Then, just like that, he ducks into Vault 101, and he's gone for almost twenty years. Nice guy I guess, but never spends enough caps._

He stared at the terminal, even after reading the entire entry. His entire life had been about Vault 101, about the Overseer saying "Nobody enters, and nobody leaves." He knew he had already broken one of those, but he never thought that he had been born outside the vault. He looked away from the screen, then closed down the terminal and left the room.

"Dad...when I find you, you've got a lot of questions to answer." he said as he walked outside of the tavern, locking the door behind him.

OoOoO

It had taken him some time, but after hours of walking, he had finally made it to Downtown D.C.

Looking around, he noticed that the city was much like the rest of the world he had come to call home. Dead. Buildings were destroyed, the ground was dry and crumbled, and there was nobody to be seen for miles. He looked down on his pip-boy and saw the marker indicating where the GNR radio signal was emanating from.

He threw his assault rifle over his shoulder and continued to follow the path, leading him through several buildings and raiders. Finally, he seemed to be making some progress. He came across a building that had a small access way running through it. He made his way through to the other side, only to walk into hell.

He dove to the side as a rocket flew directly at him, taking cover behind a beat up old car. The rocket destroyed the wall next to where he had been. "What the fuck!" he shouted as he pulled the bolt back on the rifle. He heard sounds of gunfire all around him, as if he had just walked into the apocalypse. Poking his head out, he saw a bunch of soldier type people in huge silver armor. On the other side, were gigantic behemoths with green skin.

He was suddenly snapped back to reality when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he was prepared to fire, when the man inside the suit yelled at him. "What the hell are you doing here!" he shouted at the newcomer. John just stared at him oddly. They both ducked as another explosion rocked them from nearby. Not waiting for an answer anymore, the man shoved him down. "Look, just keep your head low. We'll take care of this!" he yelled as he pulled the laser rifle from his side and began to fire at the green giants.

Finally breaking free of his stupor, the wastelander got to his feet and pulled a grenade from his belt. He ran from the cover across the grounds until he was hiding behind a pillar supporting the structure that the mutants were coming from. Pulling the pin, he turned and threw it, firing with his rifle at the same time.

The super mutant that was firing at the soldiers caught a bullet in the eye, enraging it and causing it to charge right into the grenade. The explosion sent it right into another down the corridor from it, hitting it with a sickening thud. The soldiers moved forward, some firing into the windows of the building where the super mutants tried to ambush them. Two of them teamed up with gatling lasers, filling the hall with a river of plasma death. Eventually, the ceiling in the corridor collapsed, sending two of the brutish figures right into the line of fire. It only took seconds before they were burn riddled corpses.

John stood in wide eyed shock at the carnage the two soldiers had caused. Suddenly, he was grabbed by the shoulder again and spun around this time. "Who the hell do you think you are?" asked the feminine voice. He was about to respond but was shocked into silence by what stood before him. She had no helmet, but her armor more than made up for it. It was customized unlike the others, the plating silver with a red lion roaring in the center. There were modules sticking out that sent electricity from one to the next, creating a dangerous field of energy for anyone she decided to touch. Her face was almost angelic, with her blonde hair tied in a ponytail.

"He came from the other side of the plaza, just stumbled into us I guess." said one of the others.

She sighed and looked at him with a glare. "Great...another wastelander." she said as she rubbed her temples. "We're having enough trouble as it is with the new recruit, we don't need you hanging around." she said.

The vault dweller finally shook out of his daze, and glared back. "Look, I don't know who you people are, but you don't order me around." he said standing tall, a full head above her.

She looked back up at him, her green eyes clashing with his. "Fine, stick around. When you get eaten by a super mutant, don't look at us. We don't have the resources to protect you." she said crossing her arms.

"I can protect myself just fine." he said as he walked past her into the building they just cleared.

She watched him go, her mouth open slightly in shock. Then, she growled and walked after him. "Follow me!" she shouted to her troops. John emerged once again on the other side of the building into some kind of courtyard. He looked in front of him and saw a large office building with a sign out front that read _Galaxy News Radio._

"Finally..." he said as he walked towards the building.

"Hey, you!" shouted the female voice behind him. He sighed, then turned around.

"What? I've already told you I'm not leaving." he said as she approached.

She walked up and stood straight, eyeing him questioningly. "What is it you are doing out here anyway?" she asked. "Most people would run at the sight of super mutants, but not only did you not run, you killed two of them. Why?" she asked.

He looked at her curiously, then lowered his guard a bit. "I'm looking for my father. The only lead I have is that he left Megaton and was headed for the GNR building. I left Megaton, and here I am." he said.

She looked down as if thinking for a moment. She had planned on attacking his reasons, however something like that she could understand. She finally sighed and gave up. "Fine, just don't get yourself killed out here. It's dangerous, and we've got enough to deal with without having another wastelander getting murdered on our watch." she said.

Standing straight, he saluted her. "Yes ma'am!" he said, causing her to crack a smile.

"Oh my god...did I just see her smile?" asked one of the men behind them. She spun around and looked at them, surprised that they were standing there.

"I think so...I'm not sure, I've never seen it before. What does it look like?" asked another one.

"Alright assholes...that's enough. Let's get moving." she said as she turned around, flushing at the comments. But when she turned around, the wastelander was holding out his hand. She looked up at him.

"The name is John Ronas." he said with a smile.

She nodded with a smile of her own. "Sarah Lyons." she said. "And we're the Brotherhood of Steel." she said as she took his hand and shook it. "Cummon ladies. Let's get going." she said as she waved to the man. "And...I hope you find your father." she said before walking away.

He watched her walking, wondering when he would see her again. Suddenly, all thoughts flew from his head as a massive explosion threw him to the ground. All he could see was stars as he stood up again. Putting both hands up, he covered his ears to try and stop the ringing.

The soldiers all turned towards the cause, a massive super mutant that was barreling towards them. They all raised their weapons and began firing at the twenty some feet monster. But it seemed as if their weapons were ineffective. It charged through and swatted one away, sending him into the wall with a loud crack, then kicked the other, sending him rolling across the ground.

Sarah turned and started firing at the creatures face with her minigun, which only seemed to piss it off more. It turned and charged at her next. John finally shook the fog from his head and drew his rifle, unfolding it and aiming down the scope straight at the back of the monsters knee. Pulling the trigger, the round flew from the barrel, causing a shockwave to emanate from that point.

The behemoth roared loudly as the round penetrated its leg and destroyed its knee. The momentum caused it to collapse, falling just short of Sarah. The woman looked at it in shock as it almost crushed her. She ran around the monster and towards where John was standing. The wanderer ejected the spent microcell and inserted a new one, cocking back the bolt as the monster began to get to its feet.

Looking to his side, he saw the dead soldier against the wall holding onto a rocket launcher he got from one of the super mutants. Looking at Sarah, he says, "You might want to take cover." She looked at him questioningly as he picked up the rocket launcher and threw it onto his shoulder. Turning, she ran for the building. John took aim as the mutant raised a piece of rubble it had picked up. He fired the missle and it flew straight, hitting the monster in the same injured knee.

The beast shrieked as its leg from the knee down came completely off in the explosion. The other soldiers began unleashing hell on its fallen form. However, the rock it was holding was still thrown, straight for the building Sarah had taken cover in. "Sarah! Get out!" shouted John as he ran towards the building. She heard his cry and dashed from the door just as the boulder smashed through the wall. Diving as the building collapsed behind her, she landed flat on her stomach.

Suddenly, pain shot through her whole body as something fell, pinning her leg to the ground. "Aaaaaaahhhh!" she shouted as she turned to see a portion of the wall laying across her right leg.

"Boss! Look out!" shouted one of the soldiers as the super mutant reach forward and began clawing its way across the ground to her. She tried desperately to free herself, but couldn't budge the rock an inch. Staring wide eyed at the beast as it got closer, she finally covered her head to try and protect her.

Suddenly, a voice above her startled her. "I don't think so." said the man as he stood in front of her, a missle in one hand and his rifle in the other. Running forward, he thrust the ammunition into the monsters roaring mouth, causing it to chomp down on it. Jumping back, John lie in front of Sarah on the ground before taking aim and firing. The super heated round tore through the monsters teeth and hit the missle directly in its center.

John turned and covered Sarah with his body as an explosion shook the ground, sending debris and fire scattering everywhere. He winced as a particularly large rock smashed into his back. When the explosion died out, he rolled over and just laid on the ground, breathing heavily.

The four remaining soldiers immediately began to lift the fallen wall from their leaders leg, throwing it to the side. She stood, limping as she approached the wanderer. He got to his feet as well, flexing his back inside the black armor he wore under his coat. Turning to the woman, he smiled. "How's that for not getting myself killed?" he asked.

She hid a smile at his remark as she crossed her arms. "You could have been killed. What you did was stupid." she said.

His smiled faded as she looked away. "But I..." he started to say, but was cut off as she held up her hand.

"But...thank you." she said looking at him again. "You didn't have to do what you did. But you saved me. And I owe you for that." she said.

"Don't worry ab..." he said, but was cut off again.

"End of story." she said, silencing him. "If you ever need anything, we are based at the Citadel. It's a fortress next to the river to the south." she said. He thought about debating it with her, but knew he wouldn't win. Instead he smiled and nodded.

"I'll be sure to look you up sometime." he said.

"Good. Now, unless there is something else that wants to throw itself in front of our guns, we really must be going." she said. "It was good to meet you...and again...thank you." she said smiling, then she and the others turned and began walking towards the south.

He watched them go, his weapon on his back once more. Once they were out of sight, he turned and walked towards the GNR building in front of him.

A man looked down from a window high in the building. His eyes peered at the wanderer through darkened sunglasses. "That boys got talent. I'll give him that. He sure as hell knows how to get things done." he said as he stepped away from the window. "Let's hope he's up for a little more action before the day is through." he said as he sat in his chair, waiting for the vault dweller to come.


	8. The Good Fight

OoO( 8 )OoO

After getting through the ordeal in the courtyard, John was more than ready for a break. The Brotherhood soldier in the lobby of the GNR building told him to sit on the couch upstairs and wait for someone named Three Dog to call him. He was more than happy to oblige as he sat on the no longer cushy couch. Sighing happily, he stretched his back.

Suddenly the door opened and a dark skinned man wearing shades and a bandana over his short hair walked out with a smile on his face. "Let me guess, the Brotherhood's been giving you trouble? Don't worry about sitting down. Come on inside." he said walking back into the room from which he appeared.

John stood up and looked at the couch with disappointment. "Another time I guess." he said as he walked into the room with his back still aching.

The dark skinned man sat at his desk and looked at the wanderer, eyeing him curiously. John entered the room and looked around. The only chair in the room was currently occupied. "So, John Ronas is it? Or should I call you Arc Angel? Or perhaps the Reaper?" asked Three Dog.

The wanderer eyed him oddly. "Arc Angel? Reaper?" he asked.

Three Dog nodded. "Well, I guess you haven't heard. But these are a few of the nicknames given to you by the citizens of the wasteland. As for your name, I figured you were the son of James as soon as I saw you down in the courtyard."

This immediately got the gunmans attention. "You know my father?" he asked urgently, all back pain forgotten.

"You could say that." said the mysterious man. "He came by here a few weeks ago asking about the goings on in the wasteland today. I told him that it was hell, and he didn't really seem surprised."

"How did you know I was his son?" asked John curiously.

"He mentioned you while he was here. And to be quite honest, you share his likeness. So it wasn't hard to put two and two together." he said, then looked at John over his sunglasses. "And two plus two equals four, which means you're probably here looking for him." he said, getting a nod from the wanderer. Smiling, he stood up. "Have a seat." he said.

Sitting down in the chair, the gunman sighed with relief. He leaned back in the chair as the dark skinned man handed him a bottle of water. Suddenly, it occured to John that the man was being a bit more curtious than before. He looked at the man, eyeing him curiously. "Why?"

Raising his eyebrows, Three Dog looked at him questioningly. "Why what?"

"Why offer me the seat and the drink?" he asked. "You knew who I was when you saw me out there, and didn't offer me anything, so it can't be that."

"Now now, maybe I'm doing it out of the kindness of my heart." said the radio host. He immediately chuckled as the wanderer glared at him.

"I haven't lived in the wasteland very long, but even I know that nobody in this place does something for nothing. You want something." he said.

Three Dog chuckled again as he nodded. "Well, you aren't stupid. I'll give you that." he said as he crouched and stared at the wanderer. "It's like you say. I need something."

John leaned back again and took a drink from the water. "And what would that be?" he asked.

"You and me, we're the same. We fight the good fight." said Three Dog, getting a curious look from the wastelander. "You go out into the wasteland and fight on the devils own territory. Me, I broadcast to the entire wasteland to give them information and hope. We're fighting the same battle here..."

"And the problem is...?" asked the wanderer impatiently.

"The only problem is that my broadcasts are only getting to the ruins of DC. We used to broadcast the good fight all across the wasteland, until some asshole Supermutant decided that it'd be a good idea to shoot the shiny thing on top of the Washington Monument."

"I'm good with technology and all, but I don't know if I can do anything with a device deemed a playtoy by Supermutants." said John. Three Dog nodded with a smile. "You don't want me to fix it..." he said knowingly.

"The Brotherhood boys here said that there is a similar dish in downtown DC. In a place called the Museum of Technology. It's attached to the Virgo II Lunar Lander on display in the museum." said the radio host.

"And you want me to go get it." said the wanderer as he lit a cigarette, then offered the dark skinned man one.

Three Dog took and and lit it as well, taking a puff before continuing. "If you were to get that dish and bring it back here, we could once again bring news of the good fight to the people of the wasteland." he said, exhaling the smoke slowly.

"And if I bring you the dish, you'll give me the information about where my father went." said John as he took another drag from his clover.

"Your father went to Rivet City to talk to someone named Doctor Li. He mentioned some scientific nonsense, and something called Project Purity." said Three Dog. John looked at him with surprise. "Look, I've heard about you from many reliable sources. And I know you fight the good fight despite the opposition. So the information is yours whether you help me or not." he said as he took another puff. "The dish would be a favor to me, but I'm not gonna blackmail you in order to get it."

John nodded. "Thanks for the information." he said, standing up and putting the cigarette out on the butt of his assault rifle. "And if I happen to find this disc, I'll be sure to send it your way." he said.

"We here at Galaxy News Radio would much appreciate if you did." said Three Dog as he stood up and smiled. The two shook hands, and John left the room. Soon after, one of the Brotherhood of Steel walked into the room and looked at Three Dog.

"You know he could just go to Rivet City and leave us here stranded." said the soldier.

Three Dog nodded as he tossed the cigarette out the open window. "He could. But he's a good man, and he knows this will help the wasteland. I think he'll do the favor anyway. And who knows, maybe he'll find the soldier you lost out there." he said as he watched the newcomer leave the courtyard headed south.

"I hope you're right." said the soldier.

"Me too..."

OoOoO

It was turning sundown when John finally made it to the museum. He had scanned the metro maps and entered the information into his pip-boy. He had already fought through waves of Supermutants just to get to the door. Sweat poured down his face as he shoved the door open. Walking inside, he looked around and found the tour guide sign not far away.

After examining it for a few minutes, he determined where the lander was and turned to the door that led to the western, or the 'Space Wing' of the museum. He sighed as he saw the wreckage in front of the door and turned back to the map.

"Alright..." he said after a few moments of examination of the map. "I should be able to get to the Space Wing through Exhibit C...the Vault Tour?" he asked curiously as he read the description. Stepping away from the map, he went up the stairs and walked through the door labeled Exhibit C. Immediately he felt a sense of forboding as he walked through the halls of the tour. Suddenly, he was startled by the sound of a voice over the intercom.

_"Vault-Tec welcomes you to its newest line of subterranean vaults, featuring our patented Triple-S technology." _said the voice.

John calmed down a bit before moving on. "I reeeally don't like this place." he said as the voice continued in its droning lecture. "And that isn't helping in the least."

_"Being underground got you down? Smile! Our SimuSun lighting mimics the feeling of being outside with only a fraction of the sunburn potential!" _John smirked at the comment, knowing the lighting in the vaults didn't even compare to the blaring 'Day Ball' outside. _"Concerns about our security? Our Eye-On-You cameras enable the vaults leader to watch your every move. You'll never be alone again!" _said the voice again, making the wanderer stop in his tracks.

Looking up at the speaker, he growled and smashed the speaker in with the butt of his rifle. "Perverted old bastard..." he said as he moved on. Finally he managed to find his way out of the other side of the vault and into the western wing. He walked through the first door he saw and found himself in an amphitheater-like room with a giant contraption in the middle. As he neared the machine, it activated, shining many lights across the domed ceiling of the dark room.

In a panic, John aimed his assault rifle at the machine, but soon dropped his weapon to his side as he saw the near stars and planets on the ceiling. "What in hells name...?" he asked as the machine began to talk.

_"For as long as history has been recorded, man has had an insatiable hunger for knowledge regarding the universe. To understand why man is so interested in this unknown expanse of space around our little world, we must take a journey..."_

John stared at the planets all over the ceiling, then the sound of a roar snapped him out of his trance. He blocked out the machine talking about two planets named Palaven and Thessia, and instead focused on where the noise had come from. Walking up to the door of the planetarium, he opened it and stepped through into a hallway. Treading quietly, he opened the door at the end of the corridor and stepped silently into the next room.

He smiled as he eyed the lander in the center of the large Exhibit, the dish practically staring him right in the face. He noticed he was on the second floor, and slowly stepped up to the railing and peeked over. At the foot of the lander sat two large Supermutants gnoshing on the limbs of a raider. The wanderer sighed disappointed.

Taking his gauss rifle off his back, he aimed down the scope and shouldered the weapon. "I'll only be able to take out one..." he said as he slowed his breathing and squeezed the trigger. The barrel roared and tunneled completely through one of the Supermutants heads, splattering the contents of its cranium all over the other.

The second supermutant roared loudly and got to its feet, pulling a large sledge hammer off its back and charging for the stairs. Knowing he didn't have enough time to reload the weapon before the beast got to him, John merely shouldered it and whipped up his assault rifle, spitfiring bullets at the green monster as it approached. The bullets hardly had any effect as the monster sprinted to him and swing the hammer over its head, smashing it into the walkway with enough force to completely collapse it. John got a sense of vertigo as the platform fell beneath him, which suddenly disappeared as he crashed to the floor below.

The mutant hit the ground as well, but was immediately on its feet swinging at John again. The wanderer rolled out of the way as the mutant smashed the ground again. The gunman pulled his weapon up from his grounded position and fired at the mutants face, scoring as one of the bullets went up the creatures nose and into its sinus cavity. The creature roared loudly in pain as John rolled backwards to his feet, then began flailing with the supersledge, wanting to hit anything it could in its rage.

John stepped back under another walkway, then rolled as the monster took another swing at him. The beast turned as it pulled its hammer from the cracked wall. Raising the devastating weapon again, it swung as the wanderer shot at its face again. This didn't stop the swing however, and the hammer ended up crashing through the small support holding the walkway above them up. The vault dweller had jumped clear after firing a few shots.

The monster went under as the walkway collapsed on top of it. More furious than ever, it thrust its head up and out of the rubble. It was mildly surprised when it felt the barrel of a gun jammed into its mouth. "Game over." said the wanderer as he pulled the trigger, splattering the foul creatures brain out the top of its skull with his assault rifle. The beast took one last gasp of breath before its eyes rolled into the back of its skull, its body collapsing in a pile on the rubble of the walkway.

John turned back to the lander, breathing heavily. "The good fight huh?" he said as he looked at the dish. "My ass..."


	9. Rad Rage

OoO( 9 )OoO

The sun had finally gone down when John had exited the museum. He now had the lander dish strapped across his back as he trekked across the broken city. His back was now beginning to seriously agitate him, but he continued moving forward anyway. Looking down at his glowing pip-boy screen, he began to follow the path that he had taken to get to the museum.

He had finally gotten to the subway tunnels again in relative peace. He sighed relaxedly as he navigated the underground maze of tunnels. Finally he came across the exit and smiled. "Finally, I don't have to shoot my way through..." he said as he reached for the door. But he stopped suddenly as a noise from the doorway to his left hit him.

"Get back!" he heard a feminine voice shout from the other side of the door.

Sighing to himself, he jogged over to the door and pushed on it, but it was locked. "Never a moment to myself..." he said as he lifted his booted foot from the ground and kicked the door open. It had apparently been a lot looser than he had anticipated, as it tore from the hinges and flew into the room, smashing into a skeletal looking creature causing it to break in half. Lifting his assault rifle, he looked around. "Feral ghouls..." he said as some of them turned to him and charged. He remembered Gob talking about them when he explained his condition.

Shining his pip-boy light on the creatures, he opened fire and tore them to pieces. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed glowing a ways off in the center of the terminal. It was the artificial glow of a chem light. Figuring that this was where he had heard the yell from, he began moving forward, his barrel roaring as he took down more of the zombie-like creatures.

"What's your name?" shouted John in between sprays of his gun as he approached slowly. At first, there was no response. But it didn't really surprise him. If he was swarmed by undead enemies and suddenly heard someone shout at him, he'd probably think he was crazy too. "What's your name?" he shouted louder.

"Lana..." shouted the voice from the ticket booth.

"Alright Lana, I'm going to help you out. Just don't shoot at me when I get close. Okay?" he said as he heard the firing of a pistol from the booth.

"O-Okay..." she said.

Cupping his hands to his mouth, he shouted loudly, "Dinner time!" Suddenly, every ghoul in the room turned to him, staring at him hungrily. He smirked as he pulled a pair of pistols from his side. "Come get some." he said. The entire crowd swarmed on him. He whipped the pair of guns up, pulling the triggers and sending bullets soaring into the enemies. His aim was impeccable, the bullets tearing limbs off the creatures. It seemed as if there were some invisible wall around him, as the ghouls all got no closer than a few feet, the bodies piling up in a semi-circle. Finally, with a wall of corpses around him, he moved forward. "I'm coming over now." he said as he walked slowly with his hands up.

The girl peeked up over the counter of her temporary fortress. John noticed that her hair was short and fiery red. He saw her disappear again behind the counter. Walking over to the booth, he shoved a few ghouls killed by her away from the door, and opened it. He gasped as he saw her. Her lower half bore the same armor as the Brotherhood of Steele from the GNR building, Her top half was naked, the breastplate and shoulder armor next to her. He noticed in the glow of the chem light that she had multiple cuts all over her, but the worst was a bite mark on her shoulder from one of the ghouls.

Immediately, John looked over and saw that her shoulder armor had been damaged to the point of having a missing spaulder. Looking down at her again, he noticed her holding a tattered piece of cloth to the wound, probably her undershirt. "Please...help me..." she said in a pained voice. Shaking his head, he pulled his pack from his shoulders and pulled out some meds from one of the pouches.

Taking a small inhaler looking object, he held it up to her mouth. "Bite on this and breathe in." he said urgently. She opened her mouth and clamped down on the open end, then took a deep breath in. He pressed the button on top, causing the small contraption to spray liquid into her mouth and down her throat. She immediately began coughing as he tossed the canister aside and pulled out a stim pack. "This may hurt a bit..." he said, then pushed the syringe into her skin next to the bite. She yelped in pain as he pushed the plunger, forcing the liquid into her blood stream.

"Am...am I going to become one of them?" she asked, her eyes tearing up now. He looked at her curiously, then smiled.

"No, it doesn't work like that." he said as he took the tattered cloth from her. He opened a bottle of water and began to pour a little of the purified liquid into the wound to clean it out. "Ghouls are created from radiation exposure, not from biting." he said as he ripped the cloth in half and slowly and gently tied it around her shoulder. Taking his own jacket and armor off, he removed the black shirt he wore underneathe his armor and gave it to her. "Here, put this on." he said as he donned his armor and jacket again. She took the shirt and pulled it over her head as he adjusted the uncomfortable armor. "Can you walk?" he asked. She nodded and stood up, no longer exposed. "Good, let's get you out of here..." he said as he picked his pack back up and exited the booth.

But he stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide in horror as another ghoul stood before him. This one glowing brightly from the amount of radiation it eminated. The monster glared at him hungrily.

John held his hand up, halting the creature. "Look...I know what you're thinking..." he said, his other hand slowly reaching for the pistol at his side. The creature lunged at him just as he grasped the handle. Whipping the gun up, he fired several bullets into the creatures head, but it didn't seem to faze it. John turned just in time to push the girl back into the booth and away from them. The creature wrapped its arms around the gunman and began crushing him as its body glowed even brighter. He yelled, not only from the titanic grip it had on him, but he could feel the blood in his body burning from the radiation.

Lana scrambled backwards terrified as she saw the veins in his body light up a bright green. John looked down at his boot, and thinking quickly, kicked his leg back. His hand slipped inside the boot and grabbed the knife he stashed there for emergencies. Using all his strength, he wrenched his arm free and slammed the blade into the creatures neck. Jerking the blade roughly, he sent its head soaring off into the darkness.

The body of the creature seemed to crumble and the wanderer fell to the ground. Getting to his hands and knees, he vomited onto the floor. Crawling away from the body of the monster, he fell over onto his back. The girl got to her feet and ran towards him, grabbing his knife and pulling the pack off his body. She frantically began searching through the med pouch as he started gasping for air, his veins still faintly tinted. Finally, she found what she was looking for. Pulling a small marker looking thing from the pack, she crawled over to him and stabbed it against his neck. The needle in the tip bit into his skin and injected him with RadAway.

Throwing the marker away, she sat with her hands on her knees watching him. Slowly the glow faded from his body. She felt relief until she noticed him stop moving. She turned his head towards her and checked his pulse. It was very weak. Opening his eyes, she was startled that the his iris' were now bright green. She grabbed his chest armor and began shaking him lightly. "Please wake up...please..." she said as tears began to flow again. She laid her head on his chest as she cried over his unmoving form.

She was then startled backwards as he sat up straight. Standing up, he stumbled over to the wall and vomited again, this time glowing green. He gasped for air as he stood with his hands against the wall. The girl stood and grabbed his pack, slowly approaching him. He turned to her, making her feel a chill go down her spine as she looked into his now glowing green eyes.

"Water..." he said as he sat down against the wall. She brought his pack over to him and dug inside it, pulling out a bottle of water. He grabbed it, tearing the lid off and nearly drinking the whole thing in one go. They sat there silently for a few moments before he finally spoke. "What the fuck...?" he asked irritatedly.

Looking down at the ground, she spoke shyly. "You took a full blast of its aura." she said, getting a puzzled look from him. "The glowing ones are ghouls whos genes changed, causing them to absorb radiation rather than block it out like the others. It still doesn't effect them, but instead they are able to absorb enormous amounts of radiation and release it in a radioactive aura at will." she said.

He looked at the glowing body on the floor across the room. "So...about how much did I get hit with?" he asked.

"Each glowing one on average can hold up to 1000 rads of radiation, which can fry the systems of most creatures on the planet." she said, finally looking at him.

He sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. "So...how did you get in here?" he asked her as he took another water bottle out and started drinking it.

"I was seperated from my squad outside by supermutants yesterday. They killed everyone..." she said. He could hear a sniffle in her voice as she spoke. "I had come down the stairs of the subway to take cover from their fire. But one of them shot a mini nuke and wiped them all out. I knew I couldn't take them all myself, so I entered the subway."

"Is that how your armor got damaged?" he asked her, now looking at her huddled form. She nodded. "And when you got down here?"

"I took shelter in the terminal you saw earlier so I could rest. After I slept some, I tried making my way back out and ran into the ghouls. One of them got too close and bit me, so I fought my way back to the terminal and locked it so they couldn't get in. But, well, there were too many..." she said.

He nodded and finished the bottle off, throwing it away from himself. Taking out a cigarette, he offered one to her. She looked at it for a moment, then grabbed it. "Let's get moving...we still have some darkness left." he said as he lit both of their clovers. She took a drag and began coughing loudly.

Together they gathered their things and headed out the door of the subway.

OoOoO

"Never a moment to myself..." said John as he looked down the scope of his gauss rifle at the bandit encampment in front of them. Lana looked at him curiously as he lowered the weapon. Taking his clover and tossing it away, he looked back at her.

"Can I see?" she asked. He handed her the weapon and leaned back against the cover they had taken. He glared at the sun that rose, it's light hitting him in the face like a fist. He sighed to himself and turned back to Lana who was staring intently down the scope of his weapon. He was about to ask what she was looking at when a loud sound crashed against his ears. He jumped back in fright as he saw the gun she was holding recoil against her good shoulder.

"What the hell are you doing?" he shouted over the ringing in his ear. She turned to him and smiled, handing him the gun. He looked over just in time to see the building next to the raider camp buckle in on itself and begin to fall. The bandits tried running, but they couldn't maneuver the camp fast enough. The building toppled over and crushed the entire campground, destroying everyone in it. He stood staring wide eyed at the collapse, then looked at her. "How did you...?" he asked, but she cut him off.

"The building was on the verge of collapsing anyway. The only thing holding it up were the supports put up by the bandits. So, I just took them out." she said with a sly smile. Looking back over at the fallen structure, he smirked.

"Wow, wish I had you around more often." he said, picking the pack up and walking forward. She smiled to herself as they continued forward, climbing the rubble of the previously standing building.

OoOoO

It had been a few days since the wanderer had left Megaton. Lucas was patrolling like he always did, making rounds around town, as well as checking any high points for would-be assassins who were looking to score big by eliminating the gunman. But the town was peaceful at the moment, leaving him wondering if he was in the right line of work.

He had always wanted to do what the Ronas kid did. Just wander around the wasteland, living off justice and survivability. But he had a son, and the best place for them both was right here in Megaton. With his boredom gnawing at him, he decided to take another patrol around the town. As he crossed the door, he stopped in his tracks. The large metallic doors screeched open, letting the sunlight from outside flood into the walls.

He squinted into the light and saw what looked like a disfigured human coming in. But when they got closer, he saw a young redheaded girl crying in panic with the gunman slung over her back. "Please...help him..." she shouted as she saw the sheriff. He immediately sprinted towards the pair.


End file.
